Although white matter hyperintensity (WMH) has no relevant prognostic value regarding the course of migraine and vascular complications, WMH patterns may be used to differentiate migraine as a primary disorder and other disorders with migraine-like headache and WMH, according to a study published in Scientific Reports. To evaluate the WMH patterns of different subtypes of migraine, researchers conducted brain MRIs on 93 patients with migraine (73 females; mean age, 34.6; 61 with episodic migraine; 31 with chronic migraine; 36 with migraine with aura; and 56 with migraine without aura) without vascular risk factors, as well as a matched healthy control group without migraine. Prevalence rates of WMH across the different types of migraine were similar and ranged from 38.7% to 44.4%, whereas no WMH was observed in the control group. Also similar across the migraine types were the total number, size, and prevalence of WMH by lobes and white matter regions, with no interactions observed with age or sex. Patients with different migraine subtypes and without vascular risk factors had a similar pattern of WMH in the absence of subclinical infarctions or micro-bleedings.
